Freakier Friday Movie Review: It’s genuinely heartwarming to see Lindsay Lohan back on the big screen in a performance that feels like she never truly left her teenage persona behind. Her return in Freakier Friday, the legacy sequel to Freaky Friday, is more than just a personal and professional win after years of struggles - it’s also a victory for fans who’ve long hoped for her big comeback. Lindsay Lohan Attends Kering Foundation’s Caring for Women Dinner; Shares Her New York Ritual and Life as a New Mum.

Freakier Friday may not be the kind of film that earns full forgiveness for playing it safe, but there’s an undeniable charm in watching her and the ever-wonderful Jamie Lee Curtis riff off each other as if the last 22 years never happened. Of course, the passing years remind me of my own ageing, and the film’s ageist jokes don’t exactly help either.

'Freakier Friday' Movie Review - The Plot

Anna (Lindsay Lohan) is now a single mum to teenager Harper (Julia Butters - aka that little girl who famously stole a scene from DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). No longer chasing rock stardom, she works as a record artist manager. Her mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) has settled into life as a therapist and podcaster, embracing her role as ‘Gram’ to Harper while Anna navigates the same teenage drama she once did herself.

Watch the Trailer of 'Freakier Friday':

Harper’s school rival is Lily (Sophia Hammons), a diva-esque British transplant who looks down on the surfer girl. Matters get messy when Lily’s widower father Eric (Manny Jacinto from The Good Place) starts dating Anna, and later gets engaged to her. With Eric planning to move Anna and Harper to London, tensions boil over between the girls. Cue a four-way body swap, courtesy of a fortune teller (former SNL alum Vanessa Bayer) who conveniently has the power to make it happen. At least, the sequel acquits itself of Chinese racism allegations.

'Freakier Friday' Movie Review - The Stars Elevate the Film

In truth, Freakier Friday is more about the rivalry between Harper and Lily, and how the curse slowly turns their animosity into a step-sisterly bond while trying to sabotage their parents' engagement - mirroring, in reverse, Lohan’s own The Parent Trap. Anna and Tess aren’t as crucial to the body-swap hijinks this time, having already undergone their big arcs in the original. Still, the cosmic mix-up forces them into the chaos.

A Still From Freakier Friday

Not that anyone’s complaining - because it means we get Jamie Lee Curtis acting like a teenager again, and she’s absolutely in her element. Her over-the-top reactions (particularly during the 'realisation' scene), perfect comedic timing, and emotional beats in the third act completely steal the film. Lohan, meanwhile, brings an interesting meta-layer to her performance, once again embodying a teen in a way that recalls her superstardom two decades ago.

A Still From Freakier Friday

The younger co-stars hold their own. Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons don’t get as much material as their senior counterparts, but they deliver convincing performances post-switch. Manny Jacinto charms as the possibly too-perfect chef fiancé, earning applause in my cinema with his Dirty Dancing routine.

'Freakier Friday' Movie Review - A Sequel That Plays Too Safe

But is Freakier Friday actually freakier than the original? By doubling the number of switched characters, director Nisha Ganatra raises the stakes slightly, but much of the film is a beat-for-beat rehash of the first, from the mother-daughter bickering to the pre-wedding panic.

A Still From Freakier Friday

While familiar beats can be comforting, the humour runs thin after the fifth joke about Lily-in-Tess’s body struggling with ‘geriatric’ issues. Gen-Z gags, like Harper-in-Anna 's-body not knowing how to flirt (and despite being set in present times, no one's recording her antics on their smartphone) or poking fun at Facebook and Coldplay as ‘old people’ things, land inconsistently. Strangely, we never get the reverse - Anna or Tess embracing modern trends - beyond some very 90s teen movie moments like bike rides and surfing. ‘The Pickup’ Movie Review: Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson’s Buddy Action-Comedy Runs Out of Gas Mid-Way!

Nostalgic callbacks abound: Anna’s old flame Jake (Chad Michael Murray), her former teacher Elton Bates (Stephen Tobolowsky), and her besties/bandmates Maddie and Peg (Christina Vidal Mitchell and Haley Hudson) all reappear. Jake even plays a key role, still nursing a crush on Tess, while Harper and Tess attempt to use him to derail the engagement. Oddly, Anna’s younger brother Harry (Ryan Malgarini) only gets a small cameo.

A Still From Freakier Friday

There’s also a subplot featuring Never Have I Ever’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as pop star Ella, a client of Anna’s in need of constant emotional support after a breakup. While her scenes bring flashes of awkward comedy, they mostly feel like filler - an excuse to get Anna and her friends back on stage for a musical number.

A Still From Freakier Friday

By the third act, the tone shifts from light comedy to heartfelt drama, bringing Lohan back on the stage to be a rockstar again and giving the cast moments to shine emotionally. Freakier Friday ends warmly, but without offering much that’s new.

'Freakier Friday' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Freakier Friday is a comfort-watch sequel that thrives on the undeniable chemistry of Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, even if it rarely steps out of the original’s shadow. It’s predictable, formulaic, and occasionally uneven, but there’s enough heart - and enough Curtis - to make it worth the revisit for fans of the first film.

Rating:2.5

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 08, 2025 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).